New Jersey Fishing Reports

The Katie H from Belmar had been slated to fish for bluefin tuna inshore last Friday, but reports about the angling were terrible, Capt. Mike said. A buddy fished for the bluefins afterward, so Mike would find out how that went.

Manasquan Inlet

Mushin Sportfishing from Point Pleasant Beach, sailing from Cape May for tuna and big game this month, ran to a southern canyon offshore Sunday, Capt. Alan wrote in an email. The boat was the only at the canyon, and plenty of bait swam the clean, green water. Pilot whales breached, and skipjacks were seen along the water surface. The trip began trolling for bigeye tuna, and at first, “connected with a few smaller tunas,” he wrote. A 200-pound bigeye was hooked at 7:30 p.m. and landed. Another was hooked at 9:30 p.m. on the troll but got off quickly. The trip ran to inshore lumps to try for yellowfin tuna, “but no love,” he said. A handful of mahi mahi were also caught on the outing.

Yellowfin tuna, mostly small but good numbers, were trolled from Toms Canyon to Spencer Canyon, said Eric from The Reel Seat in Brielle. Fairly decent catches of blue marlin came from southern canyons. Up to 800-pounders were reported, and canyon fishing wasn’t fantastic but caught. Closer to shore, bluefin tuna fishing seemed hit and miss, mostly on the troll, not really on the chunk or on jigs. All traditional spots held the fish, like the Atlantic Princess wreck, the Triple Wrecks, the Bacardi wreck and farther offshore. A few mako sharks were heard about from 30 fathoms, a little far from shore for sharking, but not too far, if anglers want the fish. Up to 150-pounders were heard about.

Barnegat Inlet

Nothing was really heard about tuna fishing, except about tuna landed at Massey’s Canyon, south of Cape May, too far for a trip from Barnegat Light, said Capt. Ted from the Super Chic from Barnegat Light. A few white marlin were heard about from Baltimore Canyon. Radio talk mentioned a few bonito caught on boats that bluefished inshore.

Little Egg Inlet

A couple of customers sailed for bigeye tuna to Lindenkohl Canyon but caught only mahi mahi and blueline tilefish, said Chris from Scott’s Bait & Tackle in Mystic Island. But yellowfin tuna blitzed at Massey’s Canyon. The fishing at Massey’s had slowed but now improved again. Bluefin tuna had been more abundant than yellowfins at Massey’s earlier this season. The best bluefin fishing now seemed to the north, like at the Chicken Canyon.

Great Egg Harbor Inlet

A tuna trip will fish Sunday on the Stray Cat from Longport, Capt. Mike said. Not a lot happened with tuna, and Mike will see where the trip will head. A couple of bigeye tuna were taken. Bluefin tuna fishing fell apart 1 ½ weeks ago or so that had been good in inshore waters south of Cape May.

For tuna, more boaters seemed to sail farther offshore than before to canyons on the Continental Shelf, said Pat from Fin-Atics from Ocean City. Inshore fishing for tuna at Massey’s Canyon slowed compared with previously.

Massey’s Canyon seemed most popular for tuna, said Collin from 24-7 Bait & Tackle in Egg Harbor Township. But a couple of “things” were reported about Wilmington Canyon, nothing crazy. The company also owns 24-7 Bait & Tackle in Marmora.

Townsend’s Inlet

A trip yesterday with Fins and Feathers Outfitters from Avalon was going to troll along lobster pots and see if mahi mahi bit, Capt. Jim said before the outing

Tuna were still boated inshore to the south, not only at Massey’s Canyon, said Mike from Sea Isle Bait & Tackle in Sea Isle City. The tuna could also come from other places in the area, like 19-Fathom Lump. More of the tuna were yellowfins than bluefins this week, he would say. Most of the tuna seemed caught on the chunk, but some were trolled.

Cape May Inlet

Capt. George from the Heavy Hitter from Cape May was supposed to fish for tuna inshore on a friend’s boat yesterday, he said before the trip. The tuna were still caught, and a trip on the Heavy Hitter might tilefish at offshore canyons Sunday. Anglers wanted to tilefish, and weather looks good that day. An inshore tuna trip was cancelled last Saturday because of forecasts, but weather turned out beautiful. Tuna fishing inshore was lousy last week on Thursday aboard. It was also no good last week on Tuesday on the boat, covered in the last report here. George attributed the bad angling to the full moon. Some boats caught the fish during that time, and some didn’t, but the fishing became good again this past Friday and Saturday. Catches were heard about Sunday, too. The catches, bluefin and yellowfin tuna, had been good on the Heavy Hitter until the two slow trips. Anglers better fish for the tuna as soon as possible, because the fish won’t stick around forever. Someone asked to sail for the fish August 15, but George recommended the angler jump on the tuna next Friday, when the boat had an opening, and the angler was going to see if he could.

Yellowfin tuna, good-sized, were drilled at Massey’s Canyon, said Joe from Hands Too Bait & Tackle in Cape May. The fishing could be off the hook at times. Most were chunked, and some were jigged. Little was reported about tuna fishing farther from shore, probably because most anglers concentrated on the tuna inshore like at Massey’s.